NOVEL WEB Chapter 122: Chapter 122
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Chapter 97- It Was Me, ***!
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"Alright, I know Professor Dumbledore is gone, but that doesn't mean we can be allowed to slack off. We have to work harder than ever to maintain this school and the student's education, as well as safeguard them and maintain their safety." Professor McGonagall says, standing at the front of the room and addressing all of the teachers. I am also attending this teacher's meeting as I am one of the teachers, though I'd rather not be, and I am remaining silent as the others talk and discuss.
These meetings are usually held by Professor Dumbledore in his office, and he provides sweet snacks and refreshments. It is a light affair where we discuss school events and students, more often than not the problematic ones like Harry Potter. Today, though, it is a sombre affair, what with Dumbledore gone and the meeting being held by Professor McGonagall in her office, where she was her usual stern self. All that stress I had helped her work off had just come back and been multiplied by one hundred. I can't even help her work it off, as I am more focused on my pursuit after what happened to Penelope Clearwater.
"First things first, exams. The exams will be continuing and they will be starting on the first of June. That is one week from today. I am sure you have all been doing your due diligence and preparing for your exam despite the current situation and what is happening in the castle, as is our duty." She said, to which we all nodded. Even I nod, having indeed done my due diligence. It isn't even that hard as it is just a practical test of all the spells taught this year, as well as a written test that will question the knowledge learnt this year. I just took a look at the previous exams done by defence teachers, modified them, and changed some questions and bingo bango. I've got my written exam.
"There had been a lot of pushback by the parents and calls for the school to close, but education is important, and the ministry wants us to stay open. I don't like it, but the ministry arresting Hagrid as the culprit had allowed the school to keep going. So with both Hagrid and Dumbledore gone, it is up to us to keep the school open at this time so they can receive their education," she said sternly. "The exams will, therefore, take place as usual, and I trust that all of the students have been studying hard. I know the Gryfindors have been." She says, unable to stop herself from stating the superiority of her house. I am sure she doesn't even know if that's true, but she said it anyway.
"But Minerva, we all know Hagrid is not the actual criminal. Whoever or whatever has been doing this, if it is indeed a Slytherin monster, is still here in this castle." Pomona Sprout speaks up, showcasing the niceness that Hufflepuff is known for as she makes her concerns known. "Surely, it shouldn't matter what everybody else is saying, and we should evacuate the castle for our students' safety. We need to prioritise the students first and foremost." The Hufflepuff head of house says, speaking to the rest of the teachers gathered.
"Professor Dumbledore's foremost and only priority has always been the wellbeing and health of the students, of that I have no doubt. And Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible," she said. "I will trust in our headmaster and do as he asks, which is to keep the school running as normally as possible. And that, I need hardly point out, means having the students take their exams and complete their education for this year." With that, none of the teachers talk much about anything else, and things come to an end, teachers getting up and quickly heading off for the great hall, where some of the other not-so-important professors are watching over the students.
"Professor Gilderoy, I was wondering if you might spare some time to discuss something." Professor McGonagall speaks as I get up from my seat, and when I look over at her, I can make out the slight bite of her lip, and I know exactly what she wants me to stay behind for, which is why I quickly make an excuse. "I'm sorry, Minerva. But I am actually quite busy, and I have something to do, so maybe next time." And with that, I beat a quick retreat, rushing out of there to be anywhere else. I knew that if I stayed behind, even without the intention to do anything, she would get her fingers into me and pull me into debauchery.
I can't afford to do that, and I need to focus on getting those pages and stopping Riddle. At this point, I have nearly one hundred, and yet nothing seems to have changed. There are still students going out at night, and Riddle has made no retaliations or moves against me. Not since Penelope got petrified, but I have kept my pursuit up even after that, and yet he has done nothing, it doesn't make sense. And yet, all I can do is keep on doing what I am doing.
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A few days later, just three days before the student's first exam, we were all having breakfast at the great hall when Professor McGonagall stood up at the front, behind the podium, and addressed everybody. "I have good news," she said, and instead of falling silent, the Great Hall erupted. The noise became deafening as everybody seemed to be so excited for good news, each of them having their own idea of what the news could be. However, the general consensus was that the attacks were stopping and the culprit was caught.
"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully. "You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table. "Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly at the Gryffindor table, even his fellow housemates looking at him like he was daft. All the students continued to shout with excitement, and instead of Minerva shouting and quietening them down, she stood there and smiled at it. I understood that the students were mostly downcast and in low moods lately, so to see them in such spirit was a good feeling, which is why she let it naturally die out.
When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall spoke once more, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit." Seriously? Are the mandrakes nearly ready? I didn't expect it. I actually questioned Pomona on why we couldn't go and buy Mandrakes from elsewhere, but she actually had a good reason.
Mandrakes are very fragile, which is why they scream when removed from the soil; it hurts when they are moved. If their temperature changes or anything else, they will die. They also can only be taken out of soil for up to ten minutes. This is why they are grown in magic greenhouses, close to where they would be used as potion ingredients. Tonight, Pomona would be pulling out the fully grown mandrakes, and Professor Snape would be close by with everything ready to immediately get started on the potion-making process to make the restorative draught that would bring the students out of their petrified states.
I even questioned why we couldn't just go and buy restorative draughts as well since the mandrakes were out of the question. Snape answered that question for me, all the while looking at me like I was a buffoon or, in his terminology, a dunderhead. He explained that normal restorative draughts might not be effective for this unique type of petrification, and so he would be making one with slight changes for it to be more effective on the students. That's why the petrified students had to stay as they are in the hospital wing and simply wait to be brought back to normal.
There was an explosion of cheering to this news. I looked over the students, at the important and interesting ones, to see what they were up to. Harry was looking over at the Slytherin table at Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in, I don't know what was happening there. Ron, however, looked happier than he'd looked in days, and he was no doubt glad Hermione would soon be back to help him study for the upcoming exam. But while everybody else was feeling happy, I wasn't feeling the same. Something was off, but I couldn't tell what. But I could feel it in my bones. Something was coming, today. And I was not prepared for it.
Not liking this feeling and feeling things were coming to a close, I got up and made my way out of the Great Hall under everybody's curious stares. I went back to my office and to the soul cage, which held the Diadem and the nearly one hundred Riddle pages. With things nearly at the climax, I have decided there is no point in holding off any longer. It's time to burn this shit. I probably can't stop Riddle before his plan enters its final stages, so my best move is to weaken him as much as possible and give me time and an advantage when I finally find him.
It was honestly my first thought to just burn these pages and destroy them as soon as I captured them, but I realised that might be jumping the gun. If I started to burn those things and the feedback to Riddle was painful, then he would start acting more hasty. The more he lost and felt that the more drastic his actions would be. Right now, I am assuming he is a bit annoyed at me, but he thinks my actions are utterly useless. Horcruxes can only be destroyed by Fiendfire, Basilisk Venom, and maybe some other stuff I don't know about. He might be assuming that I am trying to destroy them, but I can't, so he isn't bothered.
From his perspective, even though his pages were in enemy hands, they were not in danger. So rather than playing his hand and revealing himself to everybody in the school and, most of all, Dumbledore, he has let me go on doing what I am doing. He thinks that he will be victorious in his plan, and then he can capture me and get his pages back. Well, I've done all I can, so I don't mind going nuclear now. Fuck it.
"Let's see how those pages like fucking Fiendfire," I say with some cathartic release, bringing out my wand and moving further into my office to go and burn this bitch.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
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"So what are we doing, Harry? I'm confused." Ron says, looking weirdly at Harry. The look made sense as they had just gotten some great news today, but Harry was worried and frantic instead of being happy. "We are going to tell someone about what we figured out so far so they can go and catch the Heir of Slytherin. That's what we are doing." Harry replied, walking through the hallway, seemingly without a goal in mind, just walking to burn stress.
They had snuck away from their History of Magic class halfway through the lesson, Binns not even realising, and while Ron didn't want to do so, he still followed Harry out of loyalty and friendship. "But everything is fine, isn't it. Hermione and the rest are going to wake up, and we'll have exams, and then we can leave." Ron said, hope in his voice, and Harry couldn't help but feel a bit angry at his friend's idolised version of future events.
"Don't be stupid, Ron; how can everything be fine when the heir is still out there. And you heard what McGonagall said." Harry says briskly, frustration in his voice. "When they wake up, they will talk about what they saw of the heir. Obviously, he won't want that, so he's probably going to target them. They are not safe as long as he is out there, Hermione is not safe." Harry sighs, feeling the stress getting to him.
"T-Then let's go and see Professor McGonagall; she'll be able to help. She might even be able to contact Dumbledore and get him to come here." Ron stutters, not liking what he hears but also not denying it. "Let's go to the staff room, then," said Harry, speeding up. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break." They ran downstairs. Not wanting to be discovered hanging around in another corridor, they went straight into the deserted staff room. It was a large, panelled room full of dark, wooden chairs. Harry and Ron paced around it, too anxious to sit down.
But even though they waited, nobody showed, and the bell to signal break never came. Instead, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified. "All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please. I repeat: All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. This is urgent." Harry wheeled around to stare at Ron, shock on his face and worry for Hermione making itself known.
"Not another attack? Not now? What if the heir attacked Hermione while she was still petrified, not even giving her the chance to wake up." Harry's face was red, and he was beginning to breathe fast. "What'll we do?" said Ron, aghast. "Go back to the dormitory? The hospital wing?" Instead of answering, Harry looked down and began to think through their options. They don't know what has actually happened, so they shouldn't panic. They should gather information first. That's what Professor Lockhart taught in his classes.
"No," said Harry, glancing around. There was an ugly sort of wardrobe to his left, full of the teachers' cloaks. "Let's get in here. That way, we hear what has actually happened. Then we can tell them what we've found out." They quickly hid themselves inside it, listening to the rumbling of hundreds of people moving overhead and the staff room door banging open. From between the musty folds of the cloaks, they watched the teachers filtering into the room. Some of them looked puzzled, and others were downright scared. Then Professor McGonagall arrived.
"Is everybody here?" She asked, getting straight to business. "No, Gilderoy isn't here yet. I don't know where he is. Should we go look for him?" Professor Sprout replied, mentioning the only Professor that was absent. "It doesn't matter; we have more pressing matters to deal with." McGonagall sighed, and then she was silent, seemingly trying to gather her strength.
"It has happened," she told the silent staff room. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself." Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her hands over her mouth. Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you be sure?" He said, his voice more cold and icy then Harry had ever heard it.
"The Heir of Slytherin," said Professor McGonagall, who was very white, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.'" Professor Flitwick burst into tears, the words frightening the skilled duelist and all the other teachers seemed to be on the edge of bursting as well. "Who is it?" said Madam Hooch, who had sunk, weak-kneed, into a chair. "Which student?" Silence reigned, and then a name was spoken. "Ginny Weasley," said Professor McGonagall.
Harry, shocked, quickly looked at Ron beside him and found him blankly watching the proceedings, not showing anything at all. He must be in shock. "We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," said Professor McGonagall. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said…" Professor McGonagall suddenly gasped, clutching at her chest as she dropped to her knees, her wand clattering on the ground.
"W-What... is happening?" Snape grunted out as he tried his best to grip onto the back of the chair but slowly succumbed and dropped down as well. Harry could only watch on in shock as all of the professors began to slump over and fall, gasping and groaning as something happened to them. Unable to just watch, Harry burst out of the cupboard and quickly rushed over to kneel beside Professor McGonagall, one of the only professors who had actually managed to retain consciousness.
"Professor! Are you okay!? What's happening?" Harry shouted, but all the woman could do was just stare back, unable to find the strength to speak. Harry looked around at the rest of the Professors, who all were in dire straits; though Snape seemed to be able to find the strength to glare at Harry, the boy couldn't be bothered with that right now. "I-It must be Lockhart! He's the only one not here! He must have known and planned this! I always knew there was something off about him." Harry concluded, on the verge of tears, as there was nothing he could do as all the Professors closed their eyes, going unconscious.
"I'm afraid not, Harry. It was actually me that has done all of this." Hearing the voice behind him, Harry spins around in shock to see his best friend standing there with a grin, his eyes red.
"Nice to officially meet you, Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived."
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I am so happy that the holidays are over now; others are going back, but I've got another week off since I'm a uni student. This whole break, I haven't been able to play my PS5 GOW Ragnarok, and I was so close to finishing it; I'm going to finish it in the next week.
Upcoming Chapters:
Hero: Chapter 98- This Bitch!?
Super: Chapter 100- Chamber of Fear...
Legendary: Chapter 102- Aftermath.
Galactic: Chapter 106- The Lockhart Gala!
Mythic: Chapter 107- Brushing Shoulders With The Upper Class.
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That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will see you in the next one!
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